Conna Castle

Conna Castle lies in a small public park in the village of the same name, in County Cork in Ireland.

Conna Castle was probably built somewhere during the first half of the 16th century by the Earls of Desmond, on a rock towering over a bend in the River Bride. Originally the tower would have been closely surrounded by a bawn of which only a small fragment remains.

Thomas Fitzgerald, son of the 14th Earl of Desmond, lived in Conna Castle in the 16th century. Thomas was proclaimed illegitimate and disinherited because his parents were grand cousins to each other. Thomas' son James FitzThomas FitzGerald, who would become known as the Sugán (straw rope) Earl of Desmond, was born here. James was later arrested and locked up in the Tower of London, where he died in 1608.

After that Conna Castle was granted by King James I to Sir Richard Boyle, the Earl of Cork, who repaired it around 1620. In 1642 it withstood an attack by James Fitzmorris of Mocollop but was taken by Lord Castlehaven in 1645. In 1650 the castle withstood an attack with cannon by Cromwellian troops only to accidentally burn down in 1653. It was repaired and may have remained roofed until the late 19th century.

Conna Castle is situated in a small public park which is freely accessible. The castle itself however is closed. I don't know if it ever opens. I am curious about its interior on the upper floors.

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